


...Because Nothing is Strange in Sunnydale

by Ceares



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-03-01
Updated: 2000-03-01
Packaged: 2017-12-11 11:46:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/798410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceares/pseuds/Ceares
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a crossover with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You do not have</p>
    </blockquote>





	...Because Nothing is Strange in Sunnydale

**Author's Note:**

> This is a crossover with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You do not have

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* * *

## ...Because Nothing is Strange in Sunnydale

by [Ceares](mailto:Ceares@yahoo.com)  


Author's disclaimer: None of them are mine... boohoo The boys belong to PetFly et al Buffy and the gang belong to the wonderful Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and Fox.

Part 3 /Because series (All parts are stand alone. If you do read the series, be aware tone as well as rating varies in each story. All scientific theories, magic rituals etc... are completely made up unless otherwise noted. Please forgive any continuity errors, these were written out of order. Feedback appreciated.) 

Note: This is a crossover with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You do not have to be familiar with the series to read this story. Note: S.E. Hinton writes angsty teen novels...eg The Outsiders, RumbleFish, Tex etc. Billy Idol and Sid Vicious are/were bad boy rockers skinny, spiky hair, kind of punk/grunge look. Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys are teen detectives from a series of novels set originally in the 50's I think. (Really, I know you guys know this, but just in case. I hate not understanding an allusion, so I think that is all of them not explained in the story.) 

Note: as of this point, exactly what Prof. Walsh, Riley Finn, and the Initiative are all about hasn't been established. We only know they capture vampires and various other demons and do experiments on them in an underground lab at the university, and that they have some sort of military connection. My assumption here is that if they heard about the whole Sentinel thing, they would be more of a mind to believe it true than not, so they never believed Blair's retraction, and this is part of the reason the Prof. agreed to the interview with Blair. (Actually, after writing this, I found out that the Initiative, is apparently as dumb as a box of rocks, but for story purposes, we'll just assume they aren't) 

Okay, finally, the actual story: 

* * *

...Because nothing is strange in Sunnydale.  
[Ceares@yahoo.com](mailto:Ceares@yahoo.com)

Detective James Ellison of the Cascade PD, and his partner, and guide Blair Sandburg knelt over the mutilated body, both silent for a moment. Jim leaned back on his heels, shaking his head at the man who was trying desperately not to gag. 

"Jeez Chief, next time I pick the vacation spot." Blair swallowed and stood up, moving away from the body and regaining his composure. 

"Hey, I didn't pick it, I had to come here to meet with Professor Walsh, besides what about that little fishing trip that got me dosed with a fake virus?" Even slightly nauseated his guide was still snappy. Jim stood up too, moving away. The truth was, even with all his experience the sight before him was pretty gruesome. The body looked not so much mutilated, as half eaten, but it wasn't any type of animal they had seen fleeing from the scene, it was a man. 

"If you recall Chief, you weren't exactly invited on that little outing." Jim spoke absently, still scanning the area for any information he could pass on to the local police. 

"Yeah, well what about the trip to go fishing with your cousin, or..." 

"Look Chief, none of our vacations turn out exactly as we plan." 

"Yeah, maybe we should just stay home when we have time off." 

Jim smiled at the idea. "Yeah, in bed." 

Blair frowned consideringly, his beautiful blue eyes twinkling in the dusk. "I don't know, an old guy like you..." 

Jim reached over and cuffed his friend and lover along side the head playfully. "Wait till we get to the hotel tonight Darwin, I'll show you old." Jim heard sirens in the distance and he and Blair stepped back over to their truck so they could wait out of the way of the police. Blair had called 911 as soon as they came upon the scene, but it had taken an inordinate amount of time for the police to arrive. The suspect had taken off as they pulled up. Jim had jumped out of the truck, but by the time he could get his bearings the guy was gone. He had disappeared into the woods surrounding the area, and Jim couldn't hear any signs of him, not even breathing or a heartbeat. 

It was almost dark, and Blair wasn't too keen on him running into strange woods after a killer in the middle of the night. As a matter of fact, he had been pretty adamant, threatening to him over the head with the cell phone if necessary to keep him there. 

"This isn't the Blair Witch Project man, let the locals handle it." 

Jim couldn't help but smile at the memory of the truly "horror"ible movie Blair had dragged him to see, mostly because he just couldn't resist a movie bearing his name. Blair had been fascinated, babbling on about urban legends, subcultures and fantasy/reality separation. He had just been ill. Even with his senses turned down, the jerky camera movement was enough to give him motion sickness. 

They stood there and watched as the cars pulled into the picnic area that was technically on the outskirts of the small town. They proceeded to unload a huge amount of crime scene equipment. Big city stuff. Too expensive to have just laying around in the off chance that someone might get murdered, and it made Jim wonder just how many murders a town this size could have. 

"So you're saying this "short" person was running away from the scene?" Jim nodded. 

Blair jumped in before he could speak. "Yeah, he was short but he was more like a, well like a troll or something." 

The officer looked at him, pen poised above pad, eyebrow cocked in disbelief. "A troll?" 

Blair nodded motioning with his hands, and looking over a Jim for support. Jim just shook his head. "Yeah, you know, kind of stooped over and well, I don't know, troll like." The officer turned back to Jim as the voice of sanity, his face a mask of confusion. 

"You'll have to excuse my partner, he's a writer, so he has a very vivid imagination." The officer nodded sagely, and his face cleared. 

"So are you through with us?" 

"Yeah, if you can think of anything else give us a call, but I think that about covers it." 

Jim put a hand behind Blair's back, guiding him away from the officer and towards their truck. 

"I can't believe you said a troll Chief, I told you it was just your imagination." 

Blair shook his head. "Come on Jim, you saw that as well as I did, better than I did, what did you think it was?" 

Jim shook his head, shrugging. Truthfully there had been something strange about the guy. He had seemed not just short, but deformed in someway. Admittedly he did look like the descriptions of trolls in fairytales, but there had to be reasonable explanation. They were almost to their truck when an officer stepped in front of them. 

"Detective Ellison, I couldn't help but overhear what you said to Officer Carls. Here, I'd advise you to contact her with your story." With that, the officer hurried back to the scene. Jim looked down at the white card the officer had given him. On one side was some kind of lopsided bird and the name Angel Investigations, with a Los Angeles address, but on the other side was the name Buffy Summers, Stevenson Hall, UC Sunnydale. 

* * *

"Chief, she's a college student." They were standing in front of the Stevenson Hall dorm, and Jim was trying one more time to get Blair to forget about the card the officer had given them. 

"Hey, I was a college student the last three years when I was running around playing 'cop' with you." Blair's glare at Jim was half mock, and half real. Jim knew there were times when Blair felt like Jim didn't take him as seriously as he should, especially when he was around Simon or their friends. He'd said it was like he went from being partner, and lover, to boytoy. 

Jim tried to be more concious of his behavior, but the truth was, no matter how old Blair got, and even though he was a 'real' cop now, a part of Jim would always see that wild haired, bright eyed 'kid' that he'd been when they first met. 

"Besides, I know what I saw, and it was weird. If she's got the hook up on weird I don't care if she's a preschool student." 

Jim sighed as he opened the door and followed Blair in. Watching him walk over to the desk, he couldn't help the affectionate smile at his never by the book lover. 

"Buffy Summers please." Jim had to repeat himself twice before the girl at the office desk stopped flirting with Blair long enough to pay attention. 

"What, oh sure, hang on a moment." Phone in hand she continued to make eyes at Sandburg, who was more than willing to make eyes back. Jim studiously ignored them while he listened to the phone ring on the other end. The voice that answered was light, clear, pleasant, and young. 

"Buff, there's some guys down here to see you." There was the requisite who on the other end. 

"Don't know, but definitely lunchable." There was a giggle on the other end, then an invitation. 

"Okay, go on up, room 212. I don't get off until eight, so I should still be here if you need any more help." Though she spoke to both of them, it was clear that she meant Blair. He just flashed her another sweet grin and hurried towards Jim, curls bouncing. Jim could hear her sigh to herself before she turned back to her paperwork. He looked at the young man standing next to him, blue eyes flashing with humor. Yep, definitely 'lunchable'. 

* * *

Their knock on the dorm door was answered by a small, bouncy blonde with a vaguely vacuous smile. She was dressed in wide legged jeans, a tee shirt with a band logo printed on it, and big, clunky sandals. Jim's first thought was that she could be the model for "Freshman dorm Barbie" or better yet, "Cheerleader Barbie goes to College", until he met her eyes. 

Wide and luminous, with a blue that almost rivaled Sandburg's, they held secrets that someone twice her age shouldn't have, knew things that no one should know. He'd seen that look in the eyes of young soldiers returning from their first mission, and he saw it in Sandburg's now sometimes. They were the eyes of those that had looked into the abyss, eyes of those that had walked into the flame and made it out the other side, stronger, changed. 

"I'm Buffy Summers. This is my roommate Willow." Jim looked over at the girl sitting in the corner in front of a computer monitor. If her roommate was a Barbie doll, this girl was a Degas, coltishly graceful, with choppy auburn hair that emphasized the purity of her face, but she had the same look in soft brown eyes, and for a moment, Jim felt a shaft of pain so deep it almost took his breath away, the pain of a Sentinel, a protector, and he thought /Jesus, what the hell had these little girls been through, and why?/ 

Why hadn't they been protected from whatever had put that look in their eyes. Protected like he couldn't protect Sandburg?' The hand on his arm centered him, comforted his as always, and shoved the surge of emotion down and focused on why they were there. Blair had already introduced them, and launched into a vivid description of the body they had found, including his theories on what they had seen, and from the expressions of distaste on the girl's faces, Jim thought for moment he had been mistaken about the look he'd seen, thought they were just regular college students. Maybe the cop had made a mistake, or maybe they were just supposed to direct him to someone else. 

"Chief..." he trailed off as the redhead turned back to the computer, and within a minute had pulled up the files of the police department. 

"So what are we looking at here Will?" All of a sudden Buffy's whole demeanor changed, to another that Jim recognized, one of warrior, leader, doing recon. 

Willow glanced up from the screen, smiling at Blair who was leaning forward to peer down at the monitor. "Standard. Victim is listed as a John Doe, with no cause of death as of yet, but they have listed it as a homicide." 

"Wow, you got that fast." There was nothing but admiration in Blair's voice, for her blatantly illegal act. 

Willow lowered her head modestly. "Well, it was pretty easy, the police department's cyber security basically sucks." 

Blair nodded, curls bouncing. "Tell me about it, you should see the Cascade system, man talk about old." Jim tuned them out as the two of them began to talk about computers with the kind of enthusiasm only people with shares in Microsoft should show. 

"So, other than accessing classified files, what's the next move?" 

Buffy gave him a blank look, and another vacuous smile that Jim now realized was part of her camouflage. "Well, thanks, I think we can take it from here, and I hope you enjoy your stay in Sunnydale. Be sure and visit some of our lovely churches, and historic cemeteries." 

"What are you with the Chamber of Commerce? Do you put on a brutal murder for all your tourists?" The girl's expression hardened and she stepped forward. Even though she had to be a foot smaller than him, Jim didn't take her lightly, his own frame tensing. 

"Buffy!"..."Jim!" Both voices had the same soothing quality, and for a moment Jim wondered whether he had encountered another Sentinel and Guide pair, but this girl gave off none of the vibrations he'd gotten around Alex. 

"Sorry." Buffy's voice was sheepish as she looked at her friend, but Jim knew she wasn't sorry, not really. She'd reacted like a warrior defending her territory. It was a natural reaction that another warrior would recognize instantly. 

"Listen, Detective Ellison," The smile was back "I appreciate your interest, I really do, and the information you gave us was really helpful, but this isn't your jurisdiction, so it would probably be better for the two of you to just stay out of it." 

Jim shrugged, turning to where Blair was standing with the roommate. They were both watching them warily, the way people watch their pets circle each other when they are first introduced, ready at a moment's notice to yank on their leashes if hostilities insue. "Fine, come on Chief, I think we can manage to investigate this on our own, I mean we may not be 'college students' but I think we'll do okay." 

The two girls exchanged almost panicked looks, and the wordless communication only people who know each other extremely well can manage. Jim looked over at Blair who was giving him a "what the hell is going on?" look, and Jim returned one that said "damn if I know." 

"Okay, wait, I'll take you to our leader." 

Both Willow and Blair snickered, ignoring the glares from their best friends. 

"Very funny kiddo..." 

Buffy held up a hand before Jim could continue. "No, seriously, if you insist on being involved, then we'll take you to Giles." 

Jim quirked a questioning eyebrow. "And Giles would be?" 

Buffy shrugged, her voice bland. "Well, he used to be a librarian, but now he's a gentleman of leisure." 

Blair and Jim once again exchanged confused glances, but Jim remained silent, hoping this Giles guy could clue him in a little better. 

"Okay should we follow you, or do you want to take one car?" 

The two girls exchanged looks again at Jim's question, before Buffy said, almost defensively. "Ahm, we should probably take your car, since we don't exactly have one." 

Jim's "Oh God" was seriously strained, and Buffy frowned at him, once more moving up into his personal space and his face. 

"You know, just because you have a gun and a badge, and a... driver's license doesn't mean you get to be all snotty." 

Jim could hear Blair's snicker, this time held low, but not so low a Sentinel couldn't hear it. He glared once more at his partner, then looked down at the small, feisty girl who stood almost toe to toe with him, eyes flashing. He realized he was old enough to be her father, and he outweighed her by about a hundred pounds and once again he felt a shaft of respect wash through him. "You're right, and I'm sorry kiddo." 

Buffy looked surprised. "Oh, well, okay." 

Jim was glad he'd apologized, just to see the stunned look on her face. 

* * *

Buffy sat up front with Jim to give him directions, and he could hear Blair in the back with Willow chatting a mile a minute, about of all things, the place witchcraft had in modern society. Buffy was silent other than giving him directions, but Jim could feel her staring at him, sussing him out. The pulled into the courtyard of an apartment complex with a vaguely European air, all stucco and overhangings. 

The door was opened immediately by a tall, dark haired boy, no older than his present new companions. Jim closed his eyes briefly; fighting off the headache that was threatening. Blair had been right, he should have just left this to the locals, but no, he had to go sticking his nose in, and this ride was just getting stranger and stranger. "Don't tell me, you must be the Hardy boy." 

The boy just looked at him, his expression quizzical, his eyes having the same echo of lost innocence as the two girls. Again Jim wondered what the deal was with these kids. He felt like he had stepped into an S.E. Hinton novel. 

"Hey Xander, where's Giles?" Buffy pushed past him, walking into the apartment and Willow and Blair followed, with Jim pulling up the rear. 

"He ran to the store, so me and Anya got baby sitting duty." A dark haired girl popped her head out from the kitchen, smiling. 

"Hey guys, want some cookies? We've got a bunch left over from Willow's little incident." Jim could feel the heat from Willow's blush where he was standing, and he glanced over at her and stopped dead when he saw the other occupant of the room. Young, blonde, looking vaguely like a cross between Billy Idol and Sid Vicious, and incredibly pale, it was none of those things that caught Jim's attention, it was the fact that he was tied to a chair with a multitude of ropes, and seemed perfectly happy, and completely engrossed in whatever he was watching on t.v. 

"What the hell is going on here?" Blair had moved to stand next to him, and he could feel his partner tensing up, getting ready, just in case there was trouble. Who knew what kind of weird vigilante cult shit they had stumbled into. The four kids gave him a blank look, and then Buffy followed his glance, and shrugged. 

"Oh, that's just Spike. Say hello Spike." There was a command in her voice, and the blonde turned his head reluctantly from the t.v. where Jim could see he was watching an episode of E.R. 

"Hello Mates. Say Buff, this show is making me hungry, what say you nuke me a mug?" There was a sort of sleazy smugness to his tone that his british accent only emphasized, and antagonism arced between the two of them almost visibly. 

"What say you kiss my a..." 

"Buffy!" Willow's indignant tone held hints of laughter in it. "We do have guests." Buffy rolled her eyes at Willow, before glancing over at them with a shrug. 

"Sorry." 

"Yeah, you know how it is between Ex's." That was Xander before he and Anya burst out laughing, ignoring both Spike and Buffy's glares, and Willow's embarrassed look. 

"You two used to date?" Blair was unable to retain his curiosity any longer. 

"No, no," Xander again, voice still choked with laughter, "They were just going to get married." 

"Xander if I had your track record, I really wouldn't go there." Buffy's glare if anything had intensified. 

"Okay, okay, but at least I wasn't picking out invitations." Buffy opened her mouth to comment again, when the door opened and in stepped a man around Jim's age, with glasses, and a solemn air. He had a grocery bag in one hand, and a book in the other, and Jim was so glad to see an actual adult that he almost hugged him. 

"What the Bloody hell is going on here? I could hear the two of you in the courtyard." He too bore a british accent and a sort of weary tolerance to his voice that suggested that he was used to this sort of behavior. His eyes widened when he took in Jim and Blair standing in the middle of the room, and he looked over at Buffy questioningly, his eyes darting to Spike and back. Buffy returned his look her eyes wide and innocent in a look that even Jim, having only known her about an hour knew was false. 

"Giles, this is Detective Jim Ellison and his partner Blair Sandburg, they are with the Cascade p.d." Giles quirked an eyebrow, and Buffy shrugged continuing. "They found a body in the park this morning, and somebody at S.P.D. thought we might find it interesting." 

"And do we?" Jim listened to them double speak the same way he and Blair and Simon did when they discussed his senses. Blair looked over at him with a little smile of acknowledgment that said he had noticed the same thing. Jim wondered what they were hiding. 

Buffy shrugged again. "Maybe." Her eyes wandered wistfully over to the t.v. where the rest of her friends were watching with Spike. 

"Buffy could I talk to you for a minute, outside? If you'll excuse us?" 

"Do you want some uh, soda or something?" Willow asked, obviously uncomfortable with being stuck with hostess duties. She gestured awkwardly. "They'll um be right back." 

Jim shook his head. "No we're fine, Chief?" 

Blair started to shake his head, then glanced at the cookie plate on the table. "Actually, I could eat a few cookies." Willow handed him the plate, looking grateful that she had something to due, and Blair snagged a few, complimenting her on their taste. Jim was grateful for the distraction as he dialed his hearing up to monitor the conversation outside. 

"What the bloody hell is going on here Buffy?" Giles' voice was lowered, but still highly agitated. 

Buffy explained everything that had happened, including Blair's description of the suspect. "Look Giles, it wasn't my idea okay. When I told him we could handle this on our own, he said that he would investigate himself." 

"Well of course he did, he has no idea that you're the Slayer, he just sees some college kids playing Nancy Drew." 

"Jeez, what is it with you old guys, you have Nancy Drew on the brain. Giles, we had to bring him here. He could get hurt if he starts snooping around on his own. Or dead. So you just keep him out of trouble while me and Will go do our thing." 

"You seem to forget we have someone tied to a chair in my living room." 

"Just tell him it's a fraternity prank, or hazing or something. We'll be back as soon as we can." 

* * *

Blair wandered back to Jim, eyebrows arched questioningly. 

Jim shook his head, still trying to make sense of the conversation. "I don't know Chief, something about Buffy being a Slayer or something, and..." his whispered comments were cut off by Giles and Buffy's return. 

"Oh my God!" Blair's exclamation came out of the blue and Jim frowned when he realized his guide was watching Buffy with the kind of fascinated awe that had been heretofore reserved solely for him. 

"The Slayer! You're the Slayer!" Everyone in the room looked at the guide in shock, not that he noticed as he bounced towards Buffy, then bounced back, reaching up and pulling Jim's head down for a quick kiss. "God, I love you. Life is always an adventure." He bounced back across the room, never noting the expression of wonder in Jim's eyes at his words. Then he was standing in front of Buffy with an avid light in his eyes that Jim was very familiar with. Buffy was not however, and had backed up until she was practically shoving Giles into the wall behind her. "This is incredible, unbelievable. I have a friend at Rainier that is doing her dissertation on women warriors in myth and legend. Man she would love to talk to you. Oh wow! I can't get over this." His attention focused on Giles just as avidly. "You must be her Watcher. jeez, this is so cool, I mean I'm practically speechless." 

"Not noticeably Mate." This came from Spike, who had directed his attention back to the t.v. after the initial surprise. He glanced over at Jim, his look sympathetic. "Talks nearly as much as my last girlfriend Harm. Don't know how you stand it, it was driving me sodding bonkers. Of course, he is a lot smarter than Harmony, but then so is that plate of cookies." 

"Chief, slow down a minute. What the hell is going on here?" 

"That's what I'd like to know. Do the words secret identity mean nothing to you people?" Giles was completely irate at this point. 

"Oh chill out Giles, it's not like half the people in Sunnydale don't already know, besides, we didn't tell them." Anya had wrapped her arm around Xander and was softly caressing his hair as she spoke, never taking her eyes from him though she was talking to Giles. 

"Then how did...?" 

"Oh, Jim's a Sentinel..." Blair was still staring at Giles and Buffy with amazement, and his tone was distracted as he spoke. 

"Chief! what the hell is wrong with you?" Blair finally turned to look at Jim, his eyes shining with a glow of discovery that Jim hadn't seen since Blair left the University. As exciting as Major Crimes was, it didn't set off that spark that learning did for Blair, and Jim felt a flash of regret. He hadn't realized that he had missed that look until he saw it again. 

Blair looked back at him, wide blue eyes shining. "Well Jim, it's only fair, I mean we know their secret." 

Everyone in the room wore puzzled expressions. Everyone except Spike who had turned his attention back to the t.v. 

Then Giles got a similar glow in his eyes as he turned to look at Jim. "A Sentinel, as in Richard Burton and the Sentinels of Paraguay?" 

Blair bounced again, curls flying as he flashed a wide grin at Giles. "Exactly. You read Burton?" 

"Oh absolutely. Have you read his translation of..." 

"Uhm, as much as I hate to break of this fest of love, but could someone please tell us what page we're on, or at least where to find the video version cause we're kind of lost." Xander swiveled his head back and forth between Blair and Giles like he was watching a tennis match. 

"Yeah, I mean I saw a couple of his movies, and personally I didn't think they were that great, too depressing, too Welch." Buffy was perched on the counter with Willow leaning against her, and they too were watching Blair and Giles as if they were putting on a show. 

"Not Richard Burton the actor, Richard Burton the explorer." Anya spoke solely to Xander. Jim noticed she had a habit of ignoring the other people in the room and concentrating only on her boyfriend, even when she spoke. 

"How do you know that honey?" 

"Maybe because she can read,you Git." This from Spike who hadn't turned his head away from the t.v. 

Ignoring him, Anya glanced around briefly before turning back to Xander. "You called me honey. That's so sweet." She reached up and pulled him down for a kiss that went on so long that Giles had to clear his throat before they broke it up. Anya picked up just as if she had never stopped. " I had to bring a plague of boils and sores to one of the men on one of his expeditions. His wife was really creative, she systematically went through the bible and had him visited with every curse she could find." 

"What?" Jim's head was starting to ache in earnest now as he stared at the group that occupied the room. The other people he had met in Sunnydale seemed fairly normal so he supposed he'd only stepped into a parallel dimension when he gone into Buffy's room at Stevenson hall. The worst part was that Blair seemed right at home. 

"It's a long story." Willow spoke quietly in his ear, giving him a sympathetic look as she saw the abject confusion on his face. Blair turned around to face the room, and Jim saw him slip into lecture mode. 

"Okay it's like this. Legend says that in every generation there is a Slayer, one girl in all the world who can fight the demons and hold back the forces of darkness." Checking to make sure his audience was still with him, Blair continued. " Now, per Burton, in primitive societies there were certain individuals born with enhanced senses of taste, touch, sight, smell, and hearing that enabled them to be guardians of the tribe. They were called Sentinels. Well, Sentinel, meet Slayer, Slayer meet Sentinel." 

Jim looked at Buffy's delicate features and slight body, but then he remembered the look in her eyes in her dorm room, and the way she carried herself, like a warrior, and he believed that she could be this slayer thing, what ever it was, but still..."Demons Chief?" 

Blair nodded, then his eyes widened. "Wow, that means there really are vampires." His eyes widened even more if possible and he glanced over at Spike. "Is he?" 

"God, he really is a smart little bugger isn't he." There was actual admiration in Spike's voice. 

"Come on Chief, you don't really believe..." Jim trailed off, certain the love of his life had crossed the line into the same alternate reality the rest of these people were inhabiting. A thought crossed his mind, and he looked suspiciously at the plate of cookies sitting on the table. Drugs would definitely explain it, though they didn't act drugged. They seemed perfectly sane. Hell, maybe he was the one losing his mind. 

"Spike, game face." Buffy's voice was commanding and hostile as she spoke to the bleach blonde. 

"Hey man, I'm not some puppy you bring out at show and tell." His grin was sly and fairly hostile as well. "You'd have to call your boy Angel for that." 

Buffy's expression hardened even more and she slid down off the counter. She stopped when she got to Spike and reached down, snagging a pencil from a mug on the coffee table. "I said game face, or the next time you taste blood, it will be your own." There was a growl from Spike and in an instant his smooth face morphed and he bared his fangs at the room in general, who pretty much ignored him except for Blair and Jim. Blair stood watching with the expression of a scientist that has just discovered a rare specimen. 

"Well damn." Jim couldn't think of anything else to say as the young man quickly morphed back into his human face. "Sandburg, next trip, I am definitely picking the place." 

"Hey, that's not fair man, this is definitely the coolest vacation we've ever taken." The young man's eyes were sparkling, and Jim couldn't help smiling back at his lover. Only to Blair, would finding out monsters were real, be cool. 

"Okay, so everyone's identity is established..." 

"Well actually..." 

"More or less. So what's the next step?" Jim interrupted, sure from the twinkle in Xander's eyes that he didn't even want to hear the rest. Giles looked thoughtful for a moment, and the rest sat, waiting for his instructions. 

"I'd say morgue? See if we can find out exactly how our John Doe died." 

"Right, who's going?" 

"Oh, can I go? I mean they're bound to have somebody just croaked, and I can have a late supper." 

Buffy sighed. "Okay, who's going 'except' Spike?" 

Xander and Anya headed towards the door while Willow grabbed her coat. "Yippee, 'another' field trip to the morgue." 

"I'd better stay here with the coach potato." To Jim's surprise, Giles actually looked wistful when he said it, and Jim wondered if there was something special about the Sunnydale morgue, cause he just wasn't getting the appeal here. "I'll start trying to see what I can find on trolls did you say?" 

"Well, troll or elf or dwarf, or maybe goblin, something like that. You know, short and not very attractive. Kind of gnarled and with sharp teeth." 

There was a snort from the sofa. "Yeah, well I'd advise you to start looking in Brother's Grimm from that description." 

"You know, a lot of fairy tales had their basis in actual fact." Blair's voice was indignant. 

"Yeah, and we did have Hansel and Gretel try and get us burned at the stake." Willow's voice echoed Blair's. Both Jim and Blair turned to look at her. 

"What?" 

She just shook her head. "Long story." 

"Hey if I can't go, at least bring me a doggy bag." This was yelled through the door as they closed it behind them. 

* * *

"So, you go to the morgue often?" Jim didn't know exactly what to say to Buffy now that they had both been outed. In the back seat, He could hear Willow, Xander, Anya and Blair playing some sort of one up game. He mostly had their enthusiastic voices tuned out, catching fleeting phrases, as Blair pretty much encapsulated their four year history, and concentrating on following Buffy's directions. 

"Hyena spirits... ate the principal." 

"Gross man, ... golden laced pizza,... fire people..." 

"... serial killer... impersonated ..." 

"Praying Mantis... virgins only..." 

"Hey!" 

"... worry about that now." 

"... table leg..." 

"... obfuscation... parachute..." 

"... creatures from the black lagoon..." 

"... rogue CIA ... Ebola virus..." 

"... hated germs, ... Ebola virus box..." 

"... most dangerous city in the us..." 

"... highest death rate per capita ..." 

"... ghost..." 

"... snake mayor... blew up the school..." 

Jim looked back over at Buffy. "Sounds like they are giving away all our secrets." 

She smiled over at him. " Yeah, not that it's such a big secret. Sunnydale isn't as big as Cascade, and people pretty much know about all this stuff, they just try and ignore it." 

"Does it bother you? Being the Slayer I mean." 

Buffy looked at him a moment, and Jim felt as if she was judging him, trying to decide whether to be honest with him or not. "Yeah. Sometimes. Sometimes I hate it. I hate the responsibility, the pressure, the secrecy. Sometimes I wish with all my heart that I could be a normal girl. But you know what, I've been without it, and I felt naked. I felt like a part of me was missing. It's what I am, it defines me. I fought against that for a long time, but then I realized that I wouldn't have met the people I have, cared about the people I have, helped the people I have if it wasn't for this. 

Jim looked over at her, knowing he had found somebody that knew exactly how he felt. "If I had never discovered this part of me, it would be different, but once I knew, I could never really go back, believe me I tried." 

Buffy nodded. "Exactly. I quit, said no more, never again, but you can't you know. Somebody... my Ex, told me once that all we can do is fight the good fight. You know, stick your finger in the dike and hold out as long as you can. There was another slayer, well two actually... long story... but Kendra embraced it as a duty, and Faith, Faith thought of it as a privilege, thought it made her more than everybody else. She became lost to it." 

"That's what happened to Alex. Who knows what would have happened to me without Blair, it's like you walk a tightrope, and you could fall at any minute. I couldn't do it without him you know. He balances me, keeps me steady." 

Buffy smiled at him, one of perfect understanding. "That's it. That's what my friends give me, balance." 

* * *

The morgue was amazingly nice as morgues go. Well decorated, quite. They had no problem sneaking in. And the kids did exhibit a familiarity with the place, finding the body without difficulty, though Xander and Buffy did stay back on the other side of the room with Blair while Jim and Willow looked over the body. Anya stood to the side, viewing the whole process with a sort of scientific curiosity. 

"There are teeth marks on the side of the neck." Jim managed to find the two jagged holes through all the mangled flesh surrounding them. 

"So, its possible a vampire killed him, and Blair's dwarf, was just, what... eating him.?" 

"Eww..." That from the entire peanut gallery as they all took a step farther back. Jim looked over at them and shook his head. He looked back at Willow who was looking a little pale herself. "You okay?" 

She nodded. "Yeah, this isn't one of my favorite things though." 

Jim looked over the body again, concentrating, wanting to finish so he could get these kids, Blair included out of here. It wasn't exactly where they should be, no matter how many times they came. 

" Okay I smell, mandrake, and sage, and maybe some turtle wort?" 

"That sounds like the ingredients for a summoning spell." Willow frowned. 

"A summoning spell?" Jim frowned as well, confused, though he didn't know why he even bothered with that emotion any longer, after all the things that had occurred today, and hell it had been just one day, and it wasn't over yet. 

"Willow's a witch" This from Blair, who had edged a little closer when Jim made his pronouncement, curiosity almost overcoming his squeamishness. 

Jim refused to comment, just accepting the statement at face value. "Okay, so a summoning spell for what?" 

They slid the body back into the drawer, and headed back to his Explorer. He had rented it for nostalgia sake. It looked exactly like the one some creep had driven through a window. It was coming in handy for carting around the junior detective though. 

"I don't know. My guess is that what ever this thing is, some kind of demon or something, It was brought here by an outside force." Willow switched places with Buffy so that she could talk to Jim. 

"So how do we find it, and find out who called it up?" 

" Well, I think, if we can find out whoever it was, and how they did it, we can recreate the spell to bring it to us, and maybe send it back wherever it came from." 

"Or slay it." This was Buffy from the back. 

Willow just rolled her eyes. "Buffy, its not like it asked to come here, or even killed that guy probably." 

"Oh please don't start that again Will, are we gonna pack for a guilt trip for every monster we get rid of?" 

"Look Anya, just because you spent a thousand years, wreaking havoc on unfaithful men with no compassion, doesn't mean those of us that are human can't have any. You didn't see anybody shoving a stake through your heart." 

"What?" Again from Jim and Blair. 

"Long story. So anyway, Xander if you go to the Magic Shop and find out if anybody purchased any of that stuff recently, I can go back and check some of my Wicca web sites to see if they have any information on which spell use all those things. " 

"You guys want to get something to eat? There's a pretty good place near the University. We can meet there in say an hour?" Jim could hear various stomachs growling at the suggestion, and he realized they had gotten over their morgue experience. 

"Sure I could eat. Jim?" 

Jim pulled up into the parking lot closest to Gile's apartment. "Yeah, that sounds good. It'll give us a chance to check in at the hotel, and get changed. Only, don't bring Spike." They laughed as Buffy gave them directions to the restaurant. 

* * *

"Well Chief, I hope you're happy. A 'troll'." Jim came out of the bathroom, toweling his hair dry, and looked at his lover stretched out on the bed. Blair had wanted to shower together, but Jim knew that if they had, they wouldn't be meeting anybody anytime soon. 

Blair jumped up, heading in for his own shower, but stopping to give Jim a lingering kiss. "Hey you can't say life is ever boring with me." He grinned his heart stopping grin. 

Jim watched him head, naked into the bathroom, and he knew anyone seeing his face at that moment would have had no doubt as to how Jim Ellison felt about Blair Sandburg. /Incredible, maddening, dangerous, and filled with a love that shakes my world, but never boring Chief./ 

* * *

"So anyway, Naomi could not believe I would be involved with a 'pig'. I think she meditated for 2 hours on that one." They were all seated with two tables shoved together, and Jim watched Blair eat with the same enthusiasm as the kids, and he was reminded once again how young his partner was, in spirit as well as in age. Just as he was wondering what he was doing with this beautiful boy, Blair looked over at him and winked, the expression in his eyes completely adult. 

"Oh man, yeah, when Mom found out that Angel, my ex-boyfriend was a vampire she totally wigged." 

Jim cocked a brow in surprise. "Um, you dated a vampire?" 

Buffy grinned at his expression. "Yeah, but he was a 'good' vampire, I mean he had a soul and everything. It's a..." 

"Wait, let me guess, long story?" They all laughed as Buffy nodded. 

Blair's expression took on that look that said his brain was percolating feverishly. "So do you think this is that 'on the job' thing?" There was a general look of confusion. " I mean, you know that thing where say actors date other actors because that's who they see all the time." 

Willow nodded. "So you're saying that Buffy dated, Angel, and Xander is a big dem..." Xander reached over and slapped a hand over her mouth. 

"Don't you dare!" 

Willow shrugged, looking sheepish, and Jim supposed it was yet another long story. He and Blair had quite a few of those themselves. 

"Sorry. Xander attracts, unusual and mostly non-human, women, because that's who we hang out with?" 

"Yeah, I mean if Jim and I hadn't been dealing with this Sentinel stuff, we never would have hooked up." Blair didn't look upset at the statement, but Jim wondered if he thought that the Sentinel thing was the only reason they were together. 

"Chief, I don't thinks that's true." 

Blair gave him a disbelieving look. "Oh come on big guy. You called me a neo hippie witch doctor punk when we first met." 

Jim flushed a little. "Yeah, but I thought you were a cute one. Why do you think I came to see you after you pretended to be a doctor at the hospital?" 

Blair blew him a kiss over the table, then eyed Buffy and Giles with curiosity. "Speaking of connections. You two ever..." Giles and Buffy looked at each other with identical expressions of horror while everyone else at the table, including Blair cracked up. Jim just shook his head in amusement, knowing how much his babe like playing devil's advocate. 

"No, absolutely not. Buffy's like a daughter to me, besides, Watcher's and Slayer's don't..." 

"Well, actually they do. I was called by a Slayer once, who had been betrayed by her Watcher. She wanted him captured by vampires and tortured." Anya smiled in reminiscence. 

Giles flushed uncomfortably, squirming in his seat as the others gave him surprised looks. "Well, okay, there have been rumors, but that type of thing is heartily frowned upon by the Council." 

* * *

"Okay, so we meet here tomorrow afternoon?" They had dropped everyone off at their respective abodes, and were letting the girls out last. 

"Yeah, we have classes in the morning. So, around 1:00p? We'll see if we can trace the people on the list that Xander got." 

"Yeah, My meeting with Professor Walsh is at 9:00a, so we can take a look around Sunnydale after huh Jim?" 

Jim nodded, distractedly as Blair and the girls finalized their plans. "Yeah, that's fine." He was thinking about getting Blair back to the hotel. As interesting as the day had been, it hadn't been exactly how he wanted to spend the first day of his vacation in sunny California. He had envisioned he and Blair stretched out on the beach, maybe a little surfing and then a long leisurely, romantic evening topped off by a little hot sex. Well all the rest was definitely blown to hell, but it wasn't too late for the hot sex, if he could pull his mate away from Willow with whom he had launched into a conversation regarding Professor Walsh and her theories on operate conditioning. 

"Chief!" Blair looked around guiltily and said a quick goodbye. They waited until Willow and Buffy had entered Stevenson before heading back towards the truck. 

"Sorry, it's just..." 

Jim reached over and tapped Blair lightly on the back of the head. "Hey, it's okay. It was fun talking academia again huh?" 

Blair nodded, his eyes wistful. "Yeah, I miss it you know." 

"I know. I just wish there was someway I could give you back what you gave up for me." Jim's voice was tight with guilt and pain for his lover. 

Blair moved as close as he could with the gear shift between them, leaning over and giving Jim a soft kiss on the cheek. "Given a choice, and I was, I'd take you over it any day." 

They were both silent the rest of the short ride to the hotel, each lost in their own thoughts. 

* * *

"That's the first time you said it you know." warm water cascaded gently over the two of them, as Jim leaned against the cool tiles of the shower. 

"Is it? Well jeez, but you had to know." It was a testament to the link between them, that Blair knew instantly what Jim was talking about. Eyes closed, he began to lather his hair with the herbal shampoo he brought from home. Jim inhaled, feeling his body's conditioned response to the gentle aroma that he associated as part of his guide's scent. 

Jim shrugged, even though Blair's eyes were still closed, watching as Blair rinsed the shampoo out, leaving his curls hanging in wet tendrils around his face. He was letting it grow back out, and at this point he pretty much had the whole 'little lord fauntleroy' look going. "Yeah, I figured. It's just nice to hear it sometimes." He reached over and began gently squeezing some of the water out of the mop like strands. 

Blair stepped closer to Jim and out of the direct spray, finally opening his eyes. "You're not getting all girly on me are you Big Guy?" Those open eyes twinkled mischievously, and Jim yanked a curl warningly. 

"Chief." 

Blair snickered as he stepped even closer, until he and Jim were a hair's breath apart. Arms went up around the Sentinel pulling him down until their lips met. Jim tangled his fingers in Blair's hair, tilting his head back to give him greater access to the mouth that was currently trying to devour his. 

A few breathless moments later, Blair pulled back, his eyes serious. "I love you." A brief kiss on Jim's chin and then, "I love you." His shoulder blade, and again. "I love you." 

Jim's breath caught and he leaned back against the shower wall, his own eyes closed as Blair slowly worked his way down Jim' s body, alternately kissing and licking his most sensitive spots, always with an 'I love you' between. His cock was hard and aching, bubbling pre cum by the time Blair knelt carefully in the tub and gently licked the head. 

Jim wasn't capable of uttering anything but moans as the warm mouth began to consume him. The younger man slowly swallowed him, then drew back up, just as slowly, teeth raking lightly over the turgid flesh. Again and again he repeated the procedure until Jim's knees were weak, and his head swam with pleasure. He wasn't aware of the now cool water that still poured down around them, or the hard, cold porcelain against, his back. His entire being, and every sense was focused on the spot between his legs where Blair knelt. A marauding army could have invaded the hotel room, and Jim wouldn't have noticed as he gave one last moan of ecstasy and began to shoot into the welcoming throat of his lover. 

Blair leaned back on his heels as Jim sank down into the tub next to him, trying to gain control of his limp and sated body. Gradually he became aware of the smell of his guide's semen as well as his own. He opened blurry eyes. "Blair did you...?" 

"Yeah man. Sometimes just the taste of you is enough you know." Blair's tongue slipped out and circled his lips as if searching for any lingering drops of cum, and Jim felt a shaft of desire bolt through him. He reached out and pulled the young man closer. Mouth to mouth he savored traces of himself mixed in with the various tastes of Blair. 

"Hey Chief who's the Sentinel here?" His voice was husky with renewed desire, and he could feel a faint throbbing in Blair's cock as it lay against his. Blair shivered slightly even as he rubbed against Jim eagerly, his smile wickedly inviting. Jim reached out a foot and flipped the switch, shutting off the shower. "Come on Chief, let's take this to the bedroom." 

* * *

Later that night, Jim lay with Blair tight against him, chin buried in soft curls as Blair nuzzled his neck sleepily. He had everything dialed down, and the faint sounds of the hotel, and the traffic outside were background to the rhythm of his guide's heart. 

"Love you Jim." The soft murmur against his throat went straight to his own heart, and it took him a moment to respond. 

"I love you too Chief." Jim was aware only of absolute contentment as he followed his guide into sleep. 

* * *

"So, it shouldn't be more than an hour. Really, an hour at the most." 

Jim smiled at Blair's earnest tone. "Chief I know how you get, we'll be lucky if we get out of here for lunch." 

Blair flicked a strand of hair behind his ear and gave Jim a sheepish smile. "Nah man really. I want to go exploring with you before we have to meet the girls. I promise to keep it down to a dull roar. As a matter of fact, why don't you head down to the cafeteria and have a cup of coffee, and ..." He trailed off as the door to Professor Walsh's office was jerked open. 

"Hi! You must be Blair Sandburg. I'm Riley Finn, Prof. Walsh's t.a." the boy that spoke was gorgeous in a sort of boy next door way, with wavy blonde hair, clear blue eyes, and a dazzling white smile. He reached out and shook Blair's hand, but the whole while he was looking at Jim avidly. 

"This is Jim Ellison." Blair frowned as he made the introduction, looking between the two of them suspiciously. Jim returned his look with a puzzled shrug. 

Jim's own hand was taken and shook enthusiastically. Riley stepped back and ushered them both into the office, closing the door firmly behind them. 

"I'm very pleased to meet you Mr. Ellison. Can I get you a cup of coffee or anything while Mr. Sandburg and Prof. Walsh talk?" His eager offer had Jim suspecting that he was listening at the door before he opened it. Again he and Blair exchanged glances. 

"Sure, black, two sugars. Thanks." They both took a seat in the empty office, and Jim waited until he heard Riley's footsteps echoing down the hall before he leaned back, looking at Blair quizzically. "What was that all about Chief?" 

"You tell me? What was going on between you and Joe Clean there?" 

There was a hint of something in the younger man's voice that had Jim smiling in remembrance of his own feelings when he'd found Blair having lunch with his uncle and completely misinterpreted the situation. Not to mention the time one of Blair's fellow rookies had developed a crush on him, and Jim sort of freaked out. It was nice to have the tables turned, even for just a moment. "Jealous Chief?" 

Blair cocked one brow, his expression almost petulant. "Jealous? Why would I be jealous just because 'tall', young and gorgeous is giving my guy the eye?" 

Jim smiled again and reached over, rapping Blair gently on the head. " 'Your' guy Chief, remember that. My taste runs to short, smart, talkative and beautiful. Besides, whatever bug is up young Riley's butt, I don't think its that." He heard footsteps heading towards the office and he held up a finger to shush Blair. They were both sitting, flipping nonchalantly through magazines when the door opened. Riley entered with a tray filled with coffee cups, followed by a woman who looked to be in her mid forties, with close cropped blonde hair, and rather hard blue eyes. She smiled at both men as she entered. 

"Mr. Sandburg, Its a pleasure to meet you, I'm Professor Walsh." 

Both Blair and Jim stood up when she entered, and Blair shook her hand, giving her one of his dazzling smiles." Professor Walsh, the same here. I'm a big fan of your work." 

"Let me say the same." She turned, offering her hand to Jim, her smile warming in degrees. "And you must be Detective Ellison." Noting their puzzled looks, she laughed, and gestured towards a stack of old magazines piled up in the corner. The top one was a Cascade weekly with Jim on the cover. It was a left over from the whole dissertation debacle, and Jim wondered what a psychology professor in California was doing with a copy of a Washington state weekly. 

Blair's eyes met Jim's with the same question before he turned back to Prof. Walsh with a faint blush. "That whole thing sort of..." Before he could finish, she patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. 

"Got out of hand, ofcourse. It's very difficult for the outside world to understand the scientific one Mr. Sandburg. And for the record, I think you did completely the right thing." Her eyes darted between the two of them. "I'd love to discuss it with you sometime. But right now, you're here to ask the questions, so lets get started." 

They all settled down, sipping the coffee Riley had supplied while Blair opened his backpack and pulled out his notes. He and the Professor discussed compulsions and obsessions and the various degrees there of, and how it related to fans in detail. Riley chimed in every once in a while, but mostly he sat in the corner, ostensibly working on the computer, but in reality frequently staring at Jim like he was a lab rat, and he was waiting to see if he'd take the cheese or not. 

For all his joking with Sandburg, Blair had never made him feel like he was just a test subject. From the moment he'd risked his own life under that garbage truck with Jim, there'd been a personal connection between scientist and subject. All Jim could think as he felt Riley's eyes boring into him, was thank God, he wasn't the one who'd shown up in the hospital that day. Jim would probably be in some underground black ops research facility right now, getting poked and prodded with needles. 

* * *

"Man this place just gets stranger and stranger. What was that all about with Professor Walsh?" 

"I don't know Chief, I'm just not exactly crazy about the fact that all these people know I'm a Sentinel." They were headed back to the truck, and Blair lopped backwards in front of him, talking rather than watching where he was going. 

"Come on Jim, we're talking a town on the 'Hellmouth'. They have a lot more to worry about than you're extra sense. No, its not that, its the fact that she and Riley kept looking at you like they wanted to put you in one of those little cubicles man. Gave me the creeps." 

Jim reached out a hand and guided Blair around a loose cobblestone, smiling tenderly at his soft hearted companion. "Of course it does babe. You let a barbary ape eat popcorn and sit on your couch. Not exactly a cold blooded Dr. Frankenstein move buddy." Larry, Blair's research project had repaid his attention by running amuck. 

Blair sighed, turning back around to walk beside Jim as the truck came into view. "Yeah, that was why I always liked Anthro man. You didn't really experiment, you observed you know. Still..." He took the card Prof. Walsh had given him out of his pocket, and looked at it thoughtfully. It simply said 'the Initiative' and had a number at the bottom. He tore it into tiny little pieces and dumped them in the nearest garbage can. "I don't think we'll ever be using that." 

Blair got into the truck and reached over to unlock the door for Jim. "You know everyone in this town seems to have a business card. Maybe we should get one." 

Jim looked over at his partner and rolled his eyes. "Right, Sentinel in big cap letters and Shaman in tiny little ones." 

Blair grinned enthusiastically. "Yeah man, we could be like the Equalizer. Panther and wolf on the card, and on the back. 'Want to know what your employees are really saying about you? Want to read over someone's shoulder a block away? Need to decide if that meat is well past the sell by date? Call us, we can help." 

Jim just reached over and popped him upside the head lightly, shaking his own and wondering what he ever did to deserve Blair. Something good, something really good a little voice whispered. 

* * *

"Man what does this place have like one hospital, one bank, one hotel, and five thousand cemeteries and churches. Not the most optimistic people in the world are they?" 

They had parked the truck back at the hotel, got a couple of brochures from the desk clerk and headed off on a walking tour of Sunnydale, which pretty much consisted of the aforementioned churches and cemeteries, and not much else, except a few old mansions, and the remains of a mission that Blair found particularly interesting since much like the gold room, it too had been lost under rubble and built on top of without anyone being aware that it was there. 

"Well Chief you said it yourself, they do live on top of a 'hellmouth', and what the-pardon the pun- hell is a hell mouth anyway?" They were seated on a bench in the park, eating hot dogs and savoring the feel of the warm sunshine, aware that it was no doubt pouring freezing rain in Cascade, and that they'd be back there soon enough. 

"It's a place of mystical convergence man. A gateway to other realms, other dimensions. Mostly ones occupied by demons ofcourse." 

"And they built the highschool on top of it?" 

Blair nodded. "Yeah, according to Will, it was all part of the mayor's plan to pacify the forces of evil so that he could eventually become a pure demon." 

"This is the mayor that turned into a big snake in the middle of his commencement speech." 

"Yep." Jim shook his head, taking his and Blair's empties and heading for the garbage can. 

"Very strange place you brought me to Chief. Very strange." He reached down a hand and pulled Blair up off the bench, wrapping an arm around him as they headed back to the hotel. 

* * *

Their reception at room 212 was quite different than it was their last visit. Willow yanked the door open immediately at their knock. 

"Great, just in time." She grabbed Blair's sleeve and yanked him in the room. Jim followed and she slammed the door behind them. The room was set up with candles, and on the far table was a mortar and pestle. 

" I've been checking the p.d. reports, and they've had like two more sightings of a 'midget' running around. One near campus, and one actually on campus, at a sorority house." She took a seat in front of the computer, gesturing to the screen. Blair immediately went over and they began to look through the files. 

"Xander sent over the list of people that bought various ingredients, I've been looking through the various summoning spells, and so far I've only found one close match." The door opened and Buffy, came in, tossing her books onto the desk near her bed. 

"So, what do we have?" 

Willow repeated the information. "But Buffy, it's Michael." 

"Michael?" Willow nodded. 

"Who's Michael?" 

Buffy glanced over at them, her expression troubled. "Michael went to school with us. He's into Wiccan like Willow, but I can't imagine..." 

Willow shook her head. "I'm sure it was just an accident. I of all people know how spells can get out of hand. I'm sure when we find him we can get things straightened out." 

Buffy's expression hardened slightly. "I hope so Will. Okay, where do we find him?" 

"He's in Whitman hall, room 318." 

"So how do you want to handle it?" Jim looked over at Buffy. "I mean you know this kid, could he be dangerous?" 

"I don't think so, but we don't know what this thing is that's running around eating people or what ever." 

Jim nodded, taking his gun out and double checking the cylinder. Buffy grabbed her duffel bag, throwing in a couple of stakes and her small crossbow. Jim caught the look Willow and Blair exchanged, the one that said, 'its hard having Rambo as a roommate.' 

Jim smelled the sage, and mandrake from the end of the hall, and he realized he also smelled the dwarf or whatever it was. It was the same odor that was on the body and at the crime scene, but Jim hadn't realized that it didn't belong to the victim until just then. 

Their first knock on the door elicited no response. 

"Maybe he's not there." 

Jim shook his head. "Nope, I can hear two heart beats." He knocked again, harder. 

"Go away!" A few heads popped out from various doors at the agitated shout, but when they saw the foursome they quickly retreated. 

"Michael, its Willow, open the door." Jim could hear scuffling noises and then there was a soft creak as the door opened, and wide brown eyes encircled in enough mascara to keep Max Factor in business for the next six months, peered out. 

"Willow?" 

Willow stepped in front of Jim, giving Michael a tentative smile. "Yeah Michael, We need to talk to you, can you let us in?" The brown eyes cast apprehensive looks at Jim and Blair, but they heard chains being released, and then the door opened. Jim looked around for the second person he had heard, and was again hit by a whiff of that unidentifiable odor. His eyes searched the dark room, trying to pinpoint the scent while the others focused on Michael. 

Michael was definitely a Goth child. All spiky, uncombed hair, black clothes and piercings, but the look in his eyes was that of a lost little boy. 

"Will, can you help me?" The plaintive tone matched the wounded look in his eyes. 

"I'll try Michael. What's going on?" There was a muffled grunt from the corner of the room, and that was when the rest of them became aware of the presence that Jim had already found. The small, dwarf like person that was tied to the foot of the bed, gagged and blindfolded. 

"He won't tell me how to get there." 

Jim knelt down next to the figure and began to slide the blindfold off. 

"Wait! We don't know exactly what that is yet, better leave him like that for the time being." Jim stepped back, bowing to Buffy's superior knowledge when it came to hellmouth matters. 

Willow turned back to Michael. "He won't tell you how to get where Michael?" Michael sat down on the bed, drawing his knees up and hugging himself. 

"To Xanth, he won't tell me." 

"Xanth? Michael that's not a real place." Michael nodded, his agitation increasing, 

"Yes it is, I brought him here, and now he won't tell me how to get back there." 

"What's Xanth?" Jim's question was directed toward Willow and Buffy, but it was Blair who chimed in with the answer. 

"It's a fictional place from a series of fantasy novels, by Piers Anthony." 

Willow nodded. "Yeah, where everybody has magic, and magical creatures like unicorns and centaurs are real." 

Everyone looked back over at the figure in the corner, who was now nodding frantically. 

"Could he really be from a book?" Buffy and Willow looked at each other, then Buffy shrugged. 

"I don't know, I mean Hansel and Gretel were real, and so were the Gentlemen. In Sunnydale anything is possible. I guess we'd better ungag him and find out." 

In short order they had a small grumpy figure sitting on the edge of the bed glaring at all of them, especially Michael. 

"You Mundanes are really a pain." 

"So you really are from Xanth!" Willow and Blair stood looking at the small figure in amazement, while Michael looked miserable, and Buffy and Jim just looked confused. 

"Of course. The stupid one there, summoned me here. I didn't know there was any magic in Mundania." 

"Mundania?" 

Blair looked over at Jim, his eyes glistening with excitement. "Yeah, that's what they call our world." He turned back to the little figure. 

"I don't get it though, Xanth is in Florida... well sort of, how did you wind up here?" 

"Don't ask me, ask the genius there who brought me." 

All eyes turned to Michael, who shrugged. "It's because of the hellmouth. Xanth is a demon, and that gave me access to that entire world." 

"Wait, I thought Xanth was a fictional place?" If possible, Jim and Buffy looked even more confused. Willow bit her lip, then motioned them off to the side. 

"Okay, and this is just based on what I've read. Xanth is a demon... not particularly evil, just a demon." 

"Actually, not evil at all since he got married." Blair chimed in, keeping his voice low, and glancing back to make sure he wasn't over heard. 

"Yeah. So all the magic of the land comes from him, its like a... a residue from him living there. So see, it's both a place and a person, well demon person." 

"Right, its like if everybody in Cascade had extra sensitive taste buds or hearing, just because you live there Jim, but it would go away when you weren't there. Its kind of hard to explain, you really have to read the books." Willow nodded at his comment. 

"So what's up with the stealth mode?" Buffy asked, referring to the fact that they had been whispering the whole explanation. 

"Well, there's a lot of stuff that's a secret to the creatures that live there. You know like Slayer and Sentinel stuff." 

"Okay so what do we do with him?" All four looked over at the two figures on the bed, both slumped morosely. 

"Him has a name you know, Grice Goblin, and he's not deaf." The goblin's tone was snappish as he glared at them. 

"Sorry, Grice." 

"Michael, you have to send him back." Willow's voice was still soft, but there was an edge of steel in it. 

"No, not unless he takes me with him." 

"No way, there's enough Mundanes there as it is." Grice frowned over at the boy next to him. 

"Michael why do you want to go there, it's a dangerous place, especially for humans." 

The eyes he turned on her were bitter and filled with pain. "Like this isn't. Man, Willow they almost burned you at the stake just for being a little different. What do you think its like for me?" 

"But Michael, what about your family and friends?" 

Michael shook his head. "My dad took off years ago, and the minute I moved into the dorm, Mom took off with her latest boyfriend. As for friends, well Amy is a rat, and I haven't seen you since graduation." 

Willow was kneeling next to the bed, her eyes filled with tears. Jim could see a faint glisten to Blair's eyes as well, and he laid a hand on his partner's shoulder, knowing the kid's recitation hit close to home for Blair. 

"Oh Michael I'm sorry, I was just... there's no excuse, and I promise to be a better friend, but you've got to send Grice home, he can't stay here." Michael shook his head stubbornly, and Willow sighed, standing up and going back over to the other three. 

"Can't you reverse the spell or something?" 

"I don't know, I can try, but It's better if Michael does it. Messing with other people's magic can be iffy." 

"So what happens now. I mean you can't exactly have him arrested, and you can't slay him, so where do we go from here." The four of them were at a loss to proceed, when Grice piped up. 

"I'll take him." 

"What?" 

He shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "I said I'll take him. I want to go back home, I'm starving, since you two interrupted my meal yesterday, and the nymphs around hear are hard to catch. Besides, I feel sorry for the kid." 

"You feel sorry for him?" 

"Hey, I've got an eighth of a soul, it makes me a sap. What can you do?" 

Jim looked over at Blair, and shook his head. "I definitely have to read those books." 

"You can't take him with you!" 

"He's over eighteen Will, it's his choice." Buffy put a hand on Willow's shoulder, squeezing lightly. 

Michael looked up at her with pleading eyes. "Please Willow, I don't want to stay here anymore." 

"Michael..." She looked over at Grice. "Can he come back when ever he wants to?" 

Grice shrugged. "Sure, we try and keep people out of Xanth, not in, but why anybody would want to come back here, I don't know." 

"Okay, if you're sure that's what you want. Okay." She set about helping Michael recreate the summoning spell. When they were ready, Willow leaned over and kissed Michael on the forehead. "Michael you be careful and ..." She trailed off, not knowing what else to say. "Just take care of yourself okay, and watch out for dragons." 

* * *

"So we got everything Chief?" Jim threw the last bag into the back of the Explorer. 

"Yeah, we're ready man. Back to cold, wet, dull Cascade." 

Jim leaned over and yanked a curl. "Don't worry Chief, I'm sure some terrorist is on his way to Cascade right now, just to liven things up for you." 

Buffy and Willow laughed. They had shown up along with Giles to see Jim and Blair off. 

"Well, it's been... strange." 

Willow laughed again as she hugged Blair. "Haven't you figured it out yet, nothing is strange in Sunnydale." 

"Okay, you've got all our numbers right? And e-mail addresses?" 

Willow nodded. "Yep, all set." 

"Oh wait," Buffy reached into her purse and pulled out a package wrapped in brown paper, handing it to Blair. 

"Thanks, Buff." He hugged her in turn and moved to Giles, shaking his hand fervently. "Oh man, I can't thank you enough for those diaries." 

Giles shrugged. "My great, great, grandfather was a fan of Burton's. Supported him after all that trouble with the Nile. He'd love to know that after all this time, he still has an avid follower." 

"I'll put that text on Native American spirits in the mail as soon as we get back." 

Jim accepted Willow's hug and kiss on the cheek with a smile at the gentle girl who reminded his so much of Blair. "Take care, and stay out of the police computer." He chucked her on the chin, shaking his head when she only grinned mischievously. 

He shook Giles hand, offering the man the smile of one grown up to another in a room full of kids. Then moved to Buffy, his eyes filling with a special affection. 

"So kiddo, you be careful out there." 

Buffy nodded, and then pulled him down for a tight hug. Whispering in his ear. "You too. We need all the good guys we can get." 

They all stood for a moment, reluctant to execute the actual leaving part of leaving. 

"Hey, we'll see each other again right. This time though, you have to come up to Cascade." Blair's voice was falsely cheerful. 

"Yeah, we'll take you camping." 

"Eww, no, how about shopping?" 

* * *

"That was a cool place man, I wouldn't mind living there." 

Jim looked over at Blair, who was fiddling with the radio station. "Vampires and all Chief?" 

"Yeah, man, you know me, roller coaster ride all the way. Besides, it's so warm there." He grinned. 

Jim couldn't help but grin back, shaking his head. "Sorry Chief, but they already have a guardian." 

* * *

End

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